


The Bastard King and the Wolf Queen

by GoSora



Series: Gendrya One shot AU style [11]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, King Gendry Waters, Queen Arya Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:35:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21876019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoSora/pseuds/GoSora
Summary: So this fix it fic basically makes the bastard king under one condition. Also the seed is strong.Yes, I do in fact suck at summaries.
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Series: Gendrya One shot AU style [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1395331
Comments: 4
Kudos: 86





	The Bastard King and the Wolf Queen

The war was over and all the lords they could muster up was seated in the dragon pit. She was seated next to her siblings Sansa and Bran, with their uncle to one side, Gendry opposite them and her cousin on his side while Tyrion spoke. 

This was how they were seated when Samwell Tarly suggested that the people got a say in choosing the king. Her eyes went straight to Gendry as the laughter started and she saw his jaw clinch before he looked at her and she shook her head once.

Bullheaded bastard ignored her and had to speak up, course he had. He was right to. But she knew the lords so she just watched as her knuckles turned white from her clutching her hands into fists.

“I have lived as a part of the people most of my life. They are the people who suffer when you all fight your wars. They are the soldiers, the sons and fathers that are pulled from their families. And the women who are left behind to pay the high taxes. They deserve a say, Sam is right,” she saw the look he exchanged with Sam, who smiled back. 

“They don't know anything about what goes into ruling a country, /bastard/!” her uncle said and she sneered, cutting off Gendry who was about to say or do something stupid.

“He is /Gendry Baratheon/ and more than that he is as much of a hero as I am. Without his weapons /non of us/ would be here right now. Where were you when I, a mere woman, stabbed the night king and saved us. Oh, that is right. You were back home in Riverrun. Well, that man there was standing in the front-line with Ser Brienne, Jorah Mormont, Jaime Lannister, Sandor Clegane and plenty of others. Now please continue /uncle/,” 

Her tone had been cold and her demeanour calm, but she saw the effect that her little speech had. The other lords definitely looked at Gendry with more respect. He just lowered his eyes for a second, before he looked at her again. Taking a deep breath she looked away, focusing on Tyrion. 

He went over why asking the people might be a good idea, but also how there was no time for it now and that maybe later, generations later, they could change that. But for now they needed a king, someone who was ready to take over and rule, while they figured out how to do this or if they needed to keep the old system. 

He then pointed to Bran, asking him to be king. 

“I will not. I am here because I will remain here as council, but I am not capable of ruling. A king without empathy? What use is that,” Bran simply answered and Tyrion looked down, thinking as her uncle tried again. 

This time a look from Sansa stopped him and instead of holding up his hand he scratched the back of his neck. She nearly shook her head.

“But if not you, then who?” Tyrion asked Bran and the raven looked at her.

She thought for a moment. 

“There are two obvious choices. First one is the last Targaryen, Jon. But he is being send to the wall and he doesn't want this. He never wanted to be a commander or king. He just wanted to be happy. 

The second choice is Gendry. He is Robert's son and has his strength to prove it. He might not know how to read or write, but he can learn. What he does know is the people, and for the rebuilding of the six kingdoms we need the help of them. So let Gendry and a council rule,” she said, being serious.

Tyrion nodded and so did most of the others, but she felt his eyes on her. Meeting his gaze she knew he was about to do something stupid, yet again. Seven hells. And on top of that she felt her nausea playing up like it had done for a moon or two. Crap!

“What say you, lord Baratheon? Will you follow your father and take the throne, we still have to remake,” Tyrion asked and she saw Gendry take a deep breath. 

He had listened to everything and had watched Arya when he could. She looked good but was growing more pale by the second.

“I have one condition, should I be chosen,” he said, eyes darting between Arya and Tyrion. 

“And that is?” 

“I have one woman I want as my wife. She already turned me down before but this is different. I'm not asking you to be the Lady of Storms End, I'm asking you to be my family and my queen, for you to rule by my side and help out with everything, 

Arya Stark,”

Everyone looked over at her and she covered her mouth before she disappeared. He saw Sansa get up as he crossed over to her and both went after Arya, who was hidden behind some columns, where she was throwing up. She was bend over, coughing like crazy when Sansa stepped over to her side and wrapped an arm around her, while he walked to her other side and pulled the hair away from her face. 

She seem to relax till Sansa's head snapped up and looked at him.

“Arya, are you... Please tell me this isn't what I think it is,” she said and he felt Arya tense up again. He looked at Sansa's hands and then looked at her, making her move over with a single look.

Taking her place he gently placed a hand on the lower part of her abdominal area and... He saw her look up at him and he just pulled her into a hug. Feeling her shaking breaths in his arms as she was getting over what could only have been morning sickness. 

“Marry me, please,” he whispered, wanting more than anything to be a part of her life and never wanting to father a bastard who would grow up like he had. More than her being his queen he wanted to remain with her. If that meant loosing his title as a lord and saying no to being king, then that was what he was going to do. 

Feeling her calm down he let her go and she looked up at him with a look that said more than a thousand words. Then she turned to Sansa and pointed at him. 

“It is partly his fault, but we have to get back so I can give a public reply to this very public proposal,” Arya said and Sansa sighed. 

“You will be the death of me. And you, take responsibility no matter what or I will make your life a living hell,” she said and pointed at both Arya and him. He nodded before Sansa lead the way back to the others. Letting her walk one step ahead of him, he remained close to Arya till he had to go to his seat. 

Tyrion asked in to Arya, who said she had eaten something bad that morning. Everyone seemed convinced that she was telling the truth, but now he noticed the slight bump, that was showing. It wasn't much but if you knew to look for it then it was easy to spot. 

“But how do you respond to Gendry's proposal?” Tyrion asked glossing over the fact that he had asked her before. 

She looked over at him and he raised his eyebrows. Her left one went up and then she looked back at Tyrion. 

“I'll take him even if you find another king. A man has to be mad to ask the person who stabbed the night king for her hand and he did that twice so,” she replied and he shrugged. 

“That is fair,” he said and then Tyrion looked around and got everyone ready to vote. He didn't hear who voted what, other than Brienne and Davos both said yes. He had locked eyes with Arya and that could be pretty distracting so. 

She noticed that everyone agreed, multitasking was more her speed than his after all. 

“So the wedding?” Tyrion asked. 

“Will be tonight. Jon will lead her to me in the Godswood. I know the heart tree is probably burned to the ground but she is from the North and the Sept is burned as well so,” Gendry said as he snapped out of it. 

Tyrion looked at Sansa, who nodded. 

“I shall require your embroidery talents Queen Sansa, because I am afraid that my future king lacks a proper cloak,” he said and she nodded. 

The meeting was ended and she was lead through to the council room with Gendry. Tyrion, Davos, Sansa, and Brienne joined them, before Podrick arrived with Bran.

“So, lets hear it. Why does the wedding have to be today? Why so fast? Why so rushed?” Tyrion asked and crossed his arms, looking at her and Gendry who had found his place next to her. 

She stood still and didn't say a single word as she let him step closer to her and slide his hand down so it was laying protectively over her nearly invisible bump. 

The silence that followed was deafening, but there was hardly anything anyone could do and nothing anyone could say to make her... No /them/ change this. She was fairly sure Gendry was as happy and exited about this as she was.

“How... No, I know how, but when? Didn't you two just meet at Winterfell?” Tyrion asked while Davos sat down. 

“Lad, you need to explain this,” he added. 

“And I have heard part of your story Arya, I have seen your bag, but this... This is not like you... I think you will have to explain everything from the beginning,” Sansa said as she sat down and Gendry pulled away, but just enough so they could sit as well. Not enough chairs had survived so she ended up sitting on the table, her legs crossed, while Gendry used the final chair that was right next to where she sat.

“Bran, you know everything already, don't you?” she looked to her brother who nodded.

“It is a tragic tale, for both of them,” he looked distant as he said this.

She looked at Gendry who nodded and then she took a deep breath.

“I ran from the Red Keep, no kidding. Stabbed a boy by accident as I ran. I was there when our father was killed. But I never saw it... I was shielded from that... 

And then I was dragged to an ally where my hair was cut. The man, he told me that I was a boy, called me boy to get me north without detection. I was with a group of boys and men when Hot Pie, yes that is a guy, I am not just hungry, and another boy pushed me to the ground. Enter the grumpy blacksmith or the Bull as we would later call him. He threatened them, told them he would hit their heads and see if that made their skulls sing like metal did when he hit that. 

We then travelled together for a few years, surviving gold cloaks and just the life on the road,” Looking at him he picked up where she left off. 

“I had noticed she was a girl at this point, but then she told me who she really was. I excused some shit,” 

Interrupting him was necessary because well, accuracy? 

“He was embarrassed that he had pissed in front of a lady, okay. Like super embarrassed,”

He shook his head but continued.

“Anyway, I called this one a lady and she was shorter then, less like a warrior and around twelve? I was seventeen or so and she pushed me to the ground for that. 

Then Harrenhal happened. I was saved by Tywin and we were saved by a man from Braavos, who gave you a coin. 

Meeting the brotherhood we were brought in, because of Arya. Sandor Clegane recognized her, and I had just travelled with her for so long that I followed. That didn't last for to long, because I decided that I was gonna join them, and was sold to Melisandre the next day. 

I meet Stannis, was experimented on and then saved by Davos. And that was all that happened till I was picked up and brought north of the wall,” he concluded his story. 

All eyes now focused on her and she took her dagger and started to play with it while she spoke.

“I was kidnapped by Clegane. Old shit thought he could get money for me, so he brought me to a wedding... Had we arrived just an hour earlier I would have been dead... Yes, said wedding was the Red wedding. The last thing I remember is seeing Robb's body and Grey Winds head. Sandor knocked me out before I saw more. 

Next stop was our aunt, but she had died just days earlier. Meeting Brienne and Pod after that I went and found a boat. It was going to Braavos. Showing the captain the coin was all I needed,” she took a deep breath before she continued with the next part. 

“I came to Braavos and was let in to the house of black and white. A Girl stepped out. Arya was nearly forgotten as A Girl became a faceless woman. But A Girl broke the rules, so her sight was taken from her. A Girl had killed Meryn Trant. Had tracked him down and had posed as a child, the kind of girl he liked. A Girl had been chosen and then she had stabbed him. 

A girl was forgiven after a few months but messed up again. She was hunted down and stabbed, yet she won that final encounter and brought back the face of the person who had been send after her. Becoming Arya again I went home. Or rather I went to kill the Frey. After them my plan was Cersei, but I was told by Hot Pie that Jon was king in the North so I went home, and the rest you know,” 

Feeling a warm but rough hand grab hers, she interlocked her fingers with his, feeling somehow lighter and more safe because of this. 

She then looked around and saw the reactions. Sansa knew she was a faceless woman and was probably more surprised by the first part. Tyrion seemed to be thinking, while Davos seemed horrified, yet smiled at her and Gendry. Podrick looked more impressed than he had before. Brienne shook her head slowly. Bran didn't change his expression, but he never did so that was nothing new. 

Gendry on the other hand looked like he just wanted to hug her, and she was sure she was gonna get all the affections he had once they were alone.

He hadn't known just how bad it had been till this moment. He thought the years with him had been hard, but she had been blind for months? And had seen her family killed and had nearly lost herself...

“You called yourself A Girl, why?” Tyrion asked and Arya looked at him.

“As a faceless man or woman you become No One. So that was what I meant when I trained with you Brienne. I was trained by No One, as in a faceless man and a faceless woman. Or that was the faces they showed me, but you can change gender and everything as one of them. I was Walder Frey for a few hours, so my teachers could have been anyone... Well except the girl. I cut off her face and placed it in the hall of faces so,” 

He remained calm as she said this. She had her list and he knew this. He had heard her repeat the list over and over again every night in the last part of their journey. He also knew from her scars that she had been to hell and back. No one got scars like that from a simple life. 

He had also heard about the Frey family. Whispers of them had reached the capital but he had never known she had been the person behind this. 

“We meet at Winterfell. I had wondered what happened to her for years, not to worried. She is not someone you should ever underestimate, but time changes things. She was a child before, she isn't now,” he said and looked up at her. She tried to remain serious, but it seemed like she was having a hard time with that. 

“He was falling over his own words when he first saw me, saying I looked good... It was a mess to say the least. But I did have feelings for him when we first travelled together. A first love in the middle of a war, something I can't recommend. Anyway we flirted, he slammed an axe into a wooden block and I threw daggers with precision. And then this happened the eve of the long night,” her free hand was placed on her bump and he nodded along to what she said, pretty happy about how much she left out.

“Gendry did do /one/ thing right that night, one thing that can make their child unquestionably legitimate. But this will only make sense if I explain the background for why cloaks are important to the Baratheon's,” Bran said and everyone looked over to him, waiting for him to start the story.

“Before the conquering started the last Storm King tried to offer his daughter to Aegon as compensation for help defeating one of his enemies, but the Dragon King had already married his two sisters at this point and so he offered his hand as someone the Princess could marry. The Storm King refused and then the hand, Orys, and the youngest of the queens were send to deal with him. 

They did so with ease, but the Princess barricaded her home and told them that they couldn't get her alive. Her men didn't agree with this and she was found, stripped, gagged and bound before she was delivered to Orys. 

Orys, being half Targaryen and a powerful man, didn't abuse her. He covered her in his cloak, praised her fathers bravery and untied her. Marrying her soon after he took her sigil, her house words, her fathers sword and her home. And together they started the Baratheon house.

Gendry did cover Arya in his cloak after they were done, I have seen as much. This can, given the circumstance and how uncertain everything was in that moment, be taken as a cloaking of the bride. A cloaking that made Arya loose her title as a lady, if only for a few days till Daenerys made Gendry a Baratheon, unknowingly making my sister a Stag as well. 

This wedding will only be a small formality if we follow that logic, making the child that is growing within my sister a legitimate heir to, at least, his or her grandfathers old home, Storms End,”

Bran's monotone voice was clear and his reasoning made sense. Looking around he saw Davos and Tyrion both nod, while Pod just looked at him.

“What?” he asked the other man.

“I'm just impressed. You did /that/ and used a warhammer the entire night...”

“The man with the magic cock is impressed by the blacksmith King,”Arya was laughing again at this point and her words had hit home as the rest slowly joined her.

“Rumours spread fast in the North as well as the South Pod,” Tyrion pointed out, while Gendry just looked up at Arya, who squeezed his hand.

“Remember I chose you for a reason,” she whispered as she leaned down so only he would hear the last part.

“I trust you,” 

And that was all he needed. She had known of Pod and his magic dick, yet she had come to him when she needed to know what it was like. She had come to the person she had known for years and trusted, opposite the man she barely knew. And well, that was just really sweet. 

“But I need to work on the cloak and you, Arya, need to tell Jon what has transpired and been decided,” Sansa said when the laughter had died down. Everyone nodded and she got down from the table, not letting go of Gendry's hand before she had smiled at him one last time. 

Slipping out of the room she knew where she needed to go. Grabbing her bag she found the right face, an unsullied that had died in battle. Using that to sneak in to Jon was the easiest and least suspicious way to go around that. 

Entering she saw he was seated, looking miserable as he had done since he had been locked up. Pulling her face off when she had closed the door she walked over to him and he looked up and tried to smile.

“Hey,” his voice was weak but she knew he tried to be strong for her most of the time. 

“Hey,” she whispered back as she sat down in front of him. She reached out for his hands, taking them in hers. 

“I got some good news, news you wont believe and a command from your king or rather a command from your kings fiancée, but your king listens to her most of the time so it might as well be from him” she said and he looked up at her. 

“So we have a king now and a future queen?” he asked and she nodded.

“But first. Sansa was made the queen in the North. She will rule our home from today and till her last day. And you, your “punishment” for saving all of us is to go to the wall. I will send a raven there tomorrow to tell Tormund to be there to pick you up,” squeezing his hands he send her what must be a smile, but there was just so much pain there as well.

“Now, let me start this next one with a little backstory. Just the short version. Gendry and I know each other. We have known each other since we both ran from Kings Landing. Him and another boy, Hot Pie, was my family on the road. He protected me, I saved his life and well, we know each other as well as you know me. He might even know me better than you at this point, since he has seen me on the road, has seen me hurt more than once and was there when I made my list... 

At Winterfell he finally saw me as, well me. He saw me as a woman and not a kid, and no, he never took advantage of me or anything, there was just some pretty intense flirting happening. I may or may not have made something happen later, but the point is that he proposed, I ran, nearly died and then today happened. 

We had to decide on a king. I suggested you, but said you would never agree to it, because you never wanted any of this. And then I suggested Gendry. Stupid son of a man whore decided to agree, but only if I was to be his queen...” she ended her speech there for now and let Jon catch up. 

Jon blinked a few times, she could tell he was trying to make it all make sense and that he was slowly getting there. 

“What did you answer?”

She looked down and released his hands to place them on her bump, before she looked up at him. 

“I replied the only way I could. I'm not bringing another bastard into this world when he or she could have an amazing father who would love them more than anything. And I can't take this from Gendry. He deserves better. He has never had a family, yet he was my family on the road for so many years.

So as your future queen I request you to lead me up to Gendry at our wedding tonight. Bran found a way to explain why I am with child when we get married here, but he can tell you about that later. Now I just need your answer, will you take fathers place and give me away?” she tilted her head, watching her brother look at her an at her hands. 

Shock was the first emotion that came over his face, but it was replaced by a smile that was more bright than the one he had send her before. 

“That was why you explained how you knew him, so I wouldn't think this is rushed. Well, I will lead you up to him, as long as you promise you will be happy with him. And that you won't regret this later,” he said and she smiled.

“I promise, I will be happy. He is a good man and he has always been a good man. I guess he is what we all wished his father was. But at least we now has a chance to try and fix this, heal the lands and secure the Baratheon line doesn't die out. That and break the wheel and make a difference. Rebuilding from the ashes and transforming this place into what it should be,”

Jon moved his hand and ruffled up her hair.

“This sounds like something you would say. You always wanted to make a difference, but making your mother proud at the same time. And this does both, marrying and becoming a mother, yet doing it your way and being happy. I am sure that father, Robb, Catelyn and Rickon would all be happy and proud of of you,”

His words warmed her heart. She always hoped that her family would be proud of her, but her life up to now had been the opposite of what her mother had wanted for her. So she was happy that she might finally do something she would have approved off. 

“I think Tyrion will come with some new clothes for you and you might even be given a chance to wash up before tonight,” she noted and he nodded, seeing her smile. 

“Go, Sansa probably have a whole lot she needs to tell you before you marry, even if you might know everything already,” he said and ruffled her hair again. 

She nodded, leaned over and kissed his cheek and then got up. 

“I'll see you later,” she said and slipped the face back on. 

Meanwhile: Gendry had been walking and talking to Tyrion about his responsibilities as a king. Davos had joined them and as they walked Gendry slowly started to make his opinions known. He wanted more power to the people. He wanted lords to be held responsible for their actions. 

He wanted more equality, he wanted all kids to learn numbers and to read, but more than anything he wanted to protect the women and children. Men could easily handle themselves but young girls were married off to make alliances and could end up with abusive husbands. 

Davos nodded while Tyrion said it would be hard to change everything this second, but with a little planing and a queen like Arya he was sure they would be able to do most of what he had talked about, if not all of it. 

Walking through the ruins they arrived to the part of the Red Keep that used to be where the hand stayed. This part had somehow managed to survive or nearly. No part of it had been untouched by the fire, but here was a few rooms that was still intact. 

“Funny story, this was where Arya stayed when she was here with her father. Her old room, her fathers old room and Sansa's old room are still pretty much in the same condition as they were when she ran off with you. So I have placed Sansa in her old room. Arya's things were in her old room, but they have been moved to the room her father had. It is larger and more suitable for our king and queen, even if we do need to rebuild the rest of this place,” Tyrion said as they walked around. He pointed out Sansa's room where he spotted some ladies walk in and out from before Arya's old room was pointed out. 

Walking over he opened the door and stepped in. Looking around he tried to imagine how she had looked that day he had meet her about eight years ago. He nodded slowly. This was not her or rather it was not who she had been back then. Back when she had been a lady, but not really. And back to when she had been a scared little kid on the run. 

He walked over to the window and looked out at the view she would have had. The city was in ruins, yet people were already starting to rebuild. He would have to get someone to help restructure the entire city. Making the slump less, well slump-ish. Get an orphanage going, schools, places for women to retreat to if they were being hurt by their husbands or fathers. 

Sighing he tried to keep track of all of that. That and the Lannisters had borrowed heavily from the Iron bank... He would also have to deal with that issue. And then there was the Stormlands. He had a lot he needed to handle and he had child on the way on top of that. 

Stepping back out he was lead to the room he was going to share with Arya. Hearing her name again he relaxed a little. He knew everything was going to be okay if she was there. He was good with numbers and a fast learner and she already knew all of the things. She could read and knew how to handle lords, something he also needed to learn. 

The door was pushed open and he stepped inside. Looking around like he had done in the last room he took his time this time. This room was large enough to fit an entire family, a large family, in Flea Bottom with ease. 

It had a large chest at the bottom of a bed that was larger than any bed he had ever seen, a desk was placed under a window, closets were on one of the walls, a shelf with books had somehow survived and then there were an entire dining table with one, two, eight chairs? This was mad. And then he spotted the bath tub... Filled with water... Standing next to the fireplace... 

Looking over at Tyrion he raised an eyebrow. 

“I bathed yesterday and Arya is used to seeing me covered in more dirt than this,” he pointed out. 

“But it is your wedding day and wedding night. She is already with child but still. Clean up my king. A boy will come with some new clothes for you in less than an hour,” Tyrion replied and then he left, leaving Davos with Gendry. 

“Lad, just wash up and lets talk about marriage. I don't know a lot about how kings and queens does things, but I know love. It isn't easy,” the old man said as he sat down on a chair. 

Gendry sighed and did what he was told. Sitting in the water he nodded.

“You need to actively work on it every single day. You have to always stride to be the best version of you and be what she needs in the moment. If that is the blacksmith, be that. If it is the gentle husband, be that and if it is something you have yet to discover then be that. 

The key is just that. Well, that and being honest. Talk to her, ask her about what she thinks, what she wants and what she needs. No man who never talked to his wife has had a happy wife. That is all I'm going to say on that subject. 

That and I noticed you two already held hands after your engagement were announced. Small things like that is important as well, but you seem to have that under control,” he noticed the smile on Davos lips as he smiled at him.

“That and try to be there for your kids,” 

The last comment threw him off a little. 

“What do you mean by that?” Gendry asked. 

“Well, Arya will give birth and then a wet nurse...” Gendry waved a hand in the air, shaking his head.

“Yeah, not gonna happen. A wet nurse? When /our/ child has a set of healthy parents? And I'm probably also expected to be anywhere but here for the birth, right?”

Davos nodded and he shook his head. 

“Lords, Ladies, Kings and Queens really has it backwards. No wonder how they can just send their kids away to marry so that they get more land, power or money. I'll be right here if Arya wants me, if not then I'll be outside the door and /our/ child will be raised by us,” he said and then he disappeared below the water. 

Arya had made her way to her sister and had arrived when Gendry was in her old room. Walking inside as a lady left she spotted Sansa sitting on a chair with a black cloak. And a tub of water...

She closed the door behind herself and took off her belt before her sister started. 

“Good, you came. And yes, the bath is for you. You need to be clean before your wedding,” Sansa noted and Arya shook her head. Knowing her sister was watching she got undressed and let her scars as well as her bump be on full display. 

“... You survived a lot...” her sisters voice was lower in volume as she turned to face her before she lowered herself into the water.

“This is just wounds on my body, they heal. Wounds on the soul are harder to heal,” She replied as Sansa's eyes returned to her work. 

“It is now that I need to tell you about how a marriage works. Laying still and get your /duty/ over with. Whining or screaming wont do you any good, it usually only makes things worse,” Sansa started but Arya waved her hand at her. 

“In what world is that how marriage works? That is so wrong. If anyone ever tried to do that to me... Well, then they would get the same treatment as Meryn Trant,” she said and Sansa looked over at her again.

“It is how things are done Arya, it is what will happen to you at some point, that is just the sad truth,” her sister said, as if it was inevitable. 

“Gendry would never, and I mean /never/,” she was not gonna allow her sister to think so bad about her future husband.

“Then how do you explain your pregnancy?” Sansa seemed to be getting pissed off at this point, but if details was what she wanted she would get them. 

“/I/ was the one who kissed Gendry first, after asking how many women he had been with before. And let me tell you, he is not his father. Less than five if we include me. But I was the one who started it. I told him I wanted to know what it was like before we died. And then I closed the distance to him, before he whispered my name and I kissed him. 

He kissed me back and well, then we went at it. We laughed as we fumbled with straps, belts and drawstrings but with just his pants and my shift and pants left I pushed him down on the sacks of grain. And then he saw my scars and well, I had to remind him of what we were doing. 

The way he looked at me was... Well first of how many men do you know that will ignore a woman's chest to stare at a scar on her side. And how many men do you know that will be so distracted in /that/ moment that they forget what is going on?

The truth is that he let me be in control the entire time. He might have guided me a little here and there, but that was all. Course it hurt a little, he warned me about that, but that was just because I wasn't used to it. 

So no, I wont just lay still and take it, I'm gonna be an active part in that and I will initiate this. Will encourage it and will be a willing participant in that part of our life together. 

Not all men are bad, not all of them are Joffrey or Ramsay. Some are pretty kind and a few are good hearted. Gendry is stubborn, but I could definitely have ended out with a worse man,”

She knew she was speaking the truth. Their father had been a good man and their mother had seemed happy. And her brothers had all been good men. Jon and Robb had both been taught how to treat women well and Bran would have been taught the same had he been given the chance. 

“But he is a man,” Sansa didn't seem to want to give up on her idea that all men were bad and Arya shook her head.

“Gendry would stop. I wouldn't even have to say a word, he knows me so well that a look would be enough. And I know him so well that a look from him would stop me. 

But if you want to try and experience something or someone who knows how to please a woman then Podrick is quite famous. It is said he had a handful of girls here and he left with the gold Tyrion had paid the ladies. They liked him that much. 

As queen I could send him with you, as a guard, till you either, get your own guard sorted or till he wants to come back. He is a good man and a strong fighter, and if you decide to have an heir a husband without lands will be ideal. That and Brienne and Tyrion have known him since forever, so they can vouch for him,”

How she had ended up suggesting her sister marry Podrick was non of her concern. He was a good man and he would be a catch. Also the man had experience and was charming. Yes she could admit to that much, she did have eyes, even if they only ever saw him as yet another knight. Gendry was family, Pod wasn't. 

“Arya...” 

“What? He is a good man and you could use that after everything I have heard. Also I have Gendry so my kids will go south and rule out of Storms End. You are the last Stark,”

She could see Sansa tried to find a new subject and then.

“You will have a wet nurse, so you have the time to take care of...”

“/I/ will raise my own kids. Am I not a woman? Do I not have exactly what is needed?” she nearly yelled at Sansa, who stopped what she was doing.

“But it is how it is done,” 

“I don't give a rats ass about what is done. Gendry is a bloody blacksmith and I am an assassin, yet we were chosen to be king and queen. But do you really think I will let /our/ child go once I have given birth? Gendry never had family till now, and I will not take this away from him. One thing I know about him is how gentle he is to the people he cares about. So yes, I will bring our child to meetings, I will bring him or her with me everywhere I go till they are five years old and can start to learn numbers and how to read and write. It isn't how we were raised, but it is how I will do this,”

And with that she ended the conversation. Sansa went back to sewing, convinced her sister was wrong, even if what she had said made sense in some ways, while Arya knew she was right or at least that this was the right way for her. 

Gendry was dressed in nice clothes, just like he had been before at the council. He chose to wear his leathers from that meeting again, because of the claw markings. Yes, he had asked for them to be made to impress Arya. She had yet to react to the detail, but she had been busy being sick earlier so he got that. 

Being lead to the Godswood he saw the rest of the lords and ladies had gathered. Sansa made place for Tyrion on one side while Podrick was standing on her other side. Bran sat in front of where the old Heart Tree had been. He had been instructed to stand next to her future brother while he waited for his bride. 

And then she came. She was in a dress for once. One of Sansa's by the looks of it and it looked different, but good. She looked like a real lady and well, he just smiled at her, knowing this was probably the first and last time he would see her like this. 

She walked next to her brother, Jon, who did send him a stern look before they reached him. 

The exchange was made and then they looked at each other like there was no one else in the world except them. Words were exchanged, he had removed her cloak and had placed his over her shoulders when he handed her the Stark cloak and kneeled before her. 

“You will be under my house, but we both know who the strongest one of us is, so,” he had said and she had placed her cloak on his shoulders, making the rest look at them, but a few nodded, and her family had smiled. Even Bran didn't look completely blank and that was a win.

A meal had been prepared, a meal to celebrate them, yet he knew it wasn't her. She was not one for parties and he just wanted to spend some time with her, so he had only been sipping his ale and then he had dragged her out as soon as he could. 

Out in the hall they were finally alone for the first time since Winterfell. He gently took her face in his hands as he leaned down. She had already wrapped her arms around his neck and was ready when their lips meet. Breathing her in he could have died happily in that moment, but then he felt the small bump press against him and he released her face and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. 

The kiss lasted a few more moments and then she took his hand and led them to their room. Once inside he helped her with the laced closure that was in the back of the dress. With his help it didn't take to long and then she could step out of it. 

She then turned to face him, wearing her shift. Moving closer to him he wasn't to worried. And then she pointed out the details of his leathers and he explained that it was the marks she had left on him or rather, in his soul. Even if he did have to explain a few scratches to the Maester when they had all been looked over after the battle. 

She smiled at this and then helped him get out of said leathers. His shirt went into the pile that was her dress and his leathers, but he had slowed her down, had stopped her eager hands. 

“Trust me, I want this, but we have years ahead of us, so why not just explore for tonight?” he suggested and she looked up at him before she took a deep breath and then nodded. 

He then removed her shift and looked at her. Seeing his handy work in person was different and so he kneeled down and kissed the little bump, before he stood up and lead her to their bed. 

He then started a process that took a few hours, finding and kissing every last scar on her body, allowing her to tell stories that he had yet to hear. 

She told him of each and every last of her traumas, and that should have made her sad, but his touch kept reminding her of where she was and how safe she was. It didn't erase the trauma but it did help put it in perspective. 

When he was done she asked into his past and what exactly had happened with the red woman. Covering him with gentle touches and kisses as he spoke, she tried not to be to distracting.

And that was how they spend the first half of the night, the rest was spend discovering just how much fun two people who love each other could have if given the proper amount of time. 

Nothing really happened, yet small screams and other sounds came from their room that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Epilogue: 
> 
> Gendry and Arya ruled for many years to come. They broke the wheel, they made new laws to ensure that everyone got a fair chance at a happy life. Protecting the women and children, giving them a chance in life. Help the kids who had nothing. All while raising their family. 
> 
> Their first born was Ned and his twin sister Shireen, but a few others followed, and on top of that they adopted a baby girl who's mother had died in child birth just a month after Arya had given birth to their last one. 
> 
> Raisin a family and ruling was hard but they had each other. 
> 
> In the north Sansa slowly warmed up to Podrick and after countless proposals made by the poor man she had finally said yes. 
> 
> Back in the south this was what was written about the bastard king and the wolf queen: they never spend a night apart from the day they married to the night where they died in each others arms. She always followed him when he had business to attend and he always stayed by her side when she had things she needed to take care of.


End file.
